With more than 25 hotels, it can be a bit of a challenge trying to pick which Disney World hotel for your next trip to Disney World.
Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
Also, you have three different tiers — Value, Moderate, Deluxe — and all the various amenities that come with each. And on top of that, Disney’s been doing a lot of renovations, so maybe the resort you want to choose, might be in the middle of a multi-year renovation project. Speaking of renovations, there’s one Disney World hotel that is just about to finish a multi-month renovation project in November and Disney has shared how those remodeled rooms look. Well, let’s just say that the finished product has fans divided. You shared your thoughts on the rooms, so let’s talk about!
As we were saying, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter has been getting some upgrades to its rooms recently. The work began in May 2024 and is expected to conclude this November 2024. We all were just treated to how those refurbished rooms look and it’s safe to say there are quite a lot of thoughts about them. Over on our Facebook quite a few of you have left your opinions on the refurb, so let’s dive into some of your responses!
Port Orleans — French Quarter
Those Who Are Feeling It
First up, we’ve got DFB reader Joyce who appreciates the serene vibe the new rooms offer, especially after a long day at the parks. She notes, “I think it’s great, for me I like to come back to a calm room after a day of in-your-face Disney.” If you’re looking for peace and quiet in the evenings, these new rooms seem to hit the mark.
New rooms at Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
However, Joyce did mention a practical issue with the seating arrangement, highlighting the bench seating at the table with, “They need to add a chair for the other side… are we supposed to just squeeze in on top of each other?”
Seating area and TV at Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
Similarly, Kaitlyn hinted at the appeal of the renovation, wondering if they should switch from another resort to this one, saying, “maybe we should switch from Caribbean Beach to here 🤔.” And we’ve got Susan who had an equally positive experience, saying, “Stayed there last week. Beautiful.”
Those Who Aren’t Feeling It
On the other hand, not everyone was impressed by the look of the refurbished rooms. Cynthia felt that the updates lacked the distinctiveness expected from a moderate resort, commenting, “Looks more like a value resort level refurbishment. Definitely makes it an easier decision to pay a little more for a deluxe resort.”
We love the colors and patterns!
Next up, the simplicity of the decor, which meant to offer a more tranquil ambiance, did not appeal to everyone. For instance, Lisa found the new color palette uninspiring, saying, “They looked better before. These colors are just DULL 😛.”
A Debate Over Moderate Resorts
The debate over whether moderate resorts like Port Orleans are worth the investment is a long-standing one, and the recent updates have reignited that discussion. One reader named Justin passionately defended the moderate resort experience, referencing his own stay at Port Orleans Riverside: “They offer just about as much as a Deluxe for far less. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and had a wonderful time.”
He went on to list the resort’s amenities, such as “two amazing pools, gorgeous scenery, a jazz lounge at night for a romantic evening, or an electric piano Bob show for family entertainment,” which made him feel like he got a deluxe experience for a fraction of the price.
Doubloon Lagoon at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — French Quarter
A Mixed Bag
As you can tell, these renovations have clearly split Disney fans, with some loving the calmer, more neutral room designs, while others find the changes uninspiring or underwhelming. At the end of the day, one thing is clear, Port Orleans continues to be a topic of conversation among all of us Disney World fans.
Disney’s Port Orleans — French Quarter Resort
Those were just some of your thoughts on the newest Disney World hotel rooms, and now we want to hear even more from you! Until then, keep it right here for all the latest Disney news! Also, follow us on Facebook to join in on the next discussion.
Take A LOOK Inside the NEW Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
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What are your thoughts on these renovated rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter? Let us know in the comments below!
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They are far better than value resorts because they don’t have that awful Murphy bed. The rooms are a bit bigger. The only thing that makes them like value resorts are the exterior entries as opposed to internal hallways. Table service dining and better options for dining and better pools make them a much better choice for us.
We are some of those odd people who prefer Riverside to French Quarter. The theming is certainly toned-down from what you see (or at least what we last saw) from a Royal Guest room at Riverside (which we love the intense theming of those rooms!), but the room theming at FQ always struck me as a little toned-down from Riverside in general. The new rooms seem pretty, but I can see how fans of the previous decor would be disappointed. They are a little reminiscent of a value room, but standard value rooms don’t have couchs or loveseats at Disney, granite topped tables, barn doors for the bathrooms, and as someone else pointed out, now you lose your table to get a second bed in a standard value room. And the smaller size of the rooms at value resorts is very noticeable. With the new builds and the remodels, It does seem like there is less difference among standard rooms between the price points, with the main differences being in the rest of the resort amenities. I wonder if that is an attempt to push the spendier guest who cares what their room is like to DVC.
My wife and I stayed in one of the newly refurbished rooms a couple of weeks ago, and we both thought they were very nice, and an improvement on the old ones (this was our fifth time at French Quarter, so are familiar with the old rooms). They just seem brighter and more welcoming. The only negative is, I don’t like the bench seating as much, it seemed too upright and was hard to get comfortable in it. But we are planning more trips staying here, and look forward to being in the new rooms.
Racer you must have never slept on the a pull out couch after 1000 other have slept on it. Please Mickey put in more Murphy bed. The are so great on a tired back.
I love that they now have a barn door instead of just a curtain to close off the bathroom/vanity area. I haven’t stayed here in a LONG time, that may make me consider booking here again!